By Victoria Howell, Creamery Picnic Chair, Stevensville Civic Club
It’s been quite a summer. So many long stretches of dry, hot days, smoky air that came way too early as fires raged all around us just outside our valley, fears of another pandemic surge, uncertainty over the future of our jobs and the economy. And on and on.
But, it seemed like all of that just melted away this past weekend, as the Stevensville Civic Club put on a Creamery Picnic that was extra remarkable for a traditional celebration that is always pretty remarkable.
As chair of this event for the Stevensville Civic Club, I was relieved and elated to see all the parts and pieces come together as well as they did. Amazingly, the smoke blew out of the valley to give us clear air to breathe under the backdrop of our gorgeous St. Mary’s Peak. The parades were magical, the food was great, the music sounded wonderful, the beer flowed, the rubber ducks raced down the ditch, the greased pigs raised a ruckus like they’re supposed to, and people were together and happy as they celebrated their heritage and their hometown. And all just ahead of the August singularity!
The Creamery Picnic takes months of planning and preparation. Dozens of volunteers do dozens of different things to make this happen. So many things take place behind the scenes and most people wouldn’t imagine how many lists, phone calls, meetings, problem solving sessions, tweaks and twists it takes to put this major event on. We truly appreciate all our volunteers.
We also appreciate the help we get from the Town of Stevensville. Town crews helped us so much with infrastructure, like moving traffic barricades, garbage containers, water hoses, stages, and so much more.
And it takes money, too. The Civic Club invests thousands of dollars in putting on this festival, and the club couldn’t do it without the help of our local businesses. We are so grateful to them for their support.
Yes, there were some problems, like overflowing trash receptacles on Main Street for a day or two after. Parking was a problem for some people, and we didn’t seem to be able to keep up with the demand for cold water at the park. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the disappointed people who were too late to get one of the 300 servings of free ice cream (courtesy of the Civic Club) that ran out in 10 minutes! (I think we needed 3000!)
Nothing is perfect. But, in the big picture, it was a screaming success. All due to the hard work of so many dedicated people.
I’ve been involved in the Creamery Picnic in some way for as long as I’ve lived here, about 36 years. I love helping out; volunteerism has been a big part of my life. (I also love that the money the Civic Club raises from events like the Creamery Picnic is invested back into the community in the form of improvement projects like the splash pad at Lewis & Clark Park.) And even though I’m still doing this volunteer work, I’m so excited to see that the next generation and even the one after them is stepping up to take this on.
If you enjoyed the Creamery Picnic as much as I did, I invite you to consider volunteering for the next one. Steering committee meetings will probably begin next spring. There are many different ways to volunteer. You can donate a little time or a lot of time, it’s up to you. If you’re interested you can contact Liz Cook, Civic Club President, at 880-2007.
See you at next year’s Picnic!